About the Author
Lisa Steele
Articles by Lisa Steele
What Do Ducks Eat?
The number one question I always get from backyard chicken keepers thinking about adding some domestic duck breeds to their flock is “What do ducks eat?” Fortunately, ducks can do quite well on chicken feed, although there is waterfowl feed available commercially for those who raise only ducks; or ducks and geese together.
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Chickens as Pets: 5 Kid-Friendly Chicken Breeds
Raising a flock of backyard chickens as pets with “benefits” is a fun, fulfilling activity that the whole family can get involved in. Kids love to help collect eggs, refill feeders and waterers, and watch the chickens chase bugs in the yard.
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Breakfast of Champion Poultry Layers
Add to Favorites Good-quality layer feed is all your chickens really need to eat, but by adding a few supplements to their feed you can provide your flock a healthy boost to …
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A Guide to Common Duck Diseases
Add to Favorites Domestic duck breeds are generally extremely hardy and don’t often get sick as long as they are fed a healthy diet, given plenty of room to exercise …
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What Does Blood in Chicken Eggs Mean?
Add to Favorites When you raise your own flock of backyard chickens long enough, you will likely encounter all kinds of odd eggs, including blood in chicken eggs. From tiny fairy …
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A Guide to Different Colored Chicken Eggs
Imagine the excitement of peering into your nesting boxes and finding a rainbow of different colored eggs every day. There are more than 60 breeds of chickens recognized by the American Poultry Association and hundreds of other chicken breeds that have been developed worldwide.
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Caring For Baby Chicks with Pasty Butt
Chick season will soon be in full swing. If you are new to having backyard chickens and just starting out caring for baby chicks, you should be aware of a potentially life-threatening, but easily treatable condition that is fairly common, affecting mainly shipped day-old chicks.
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10 Tips for Fermenting Chicken Feed
Have you given any thought to how fermenting chicken feed can benefit your flock of backyard chickens? Fermenting is all the rage nowadays, both in people foods (think yogurt, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, buttermilk, kimchi, apple cider vinegar, even beer and wine!) and chicken diets as well, although the process has been used for hundreds of years as a food preservation method.
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Alternatives to Culling Chickens
My oldest chicken is eight years old. She still manages to pop out a handful of eggs a year, but they’re usually wrinkled and a bit misshapen with thin shells. She certainly isn’t winning any awards for egg production and we can’t rely on her for breakfast any longer!
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Winter Feed Supplements
Just as in human diets, excess fat in your chickens’ diet should be limited to prevent unhealthy weight gain and health issues, but when it comes to providing an energy source for your flock through the winter, you just can’t beat it.
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